Governor commemorates Holocaust victims

Gov. Pat Quinn, right, joins Rabbi Barry Marks of Temple Israel at the annual Yom HaShoah observance May 1 at the Old State Capitol in Springfield. IOCI/Randy Squires.

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Pat Quinn Friday issued the following statement to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust during today’s “Yom HaShoah” – Holocaust Remembrance Day – in the Old State Capitol in Springfield. The governor proclaimed April 27 to May 4 as Days of Remembrance throughout Illinois.

“Today we light six candles, each to remember one million lives lost during the Holocaust. Six million Jewish lives lost only begins to tell the story of one of the darkest times on the face of the earth.

“We gather in the Hall of Representatives, where Abraham Lincoln worked. Lincoln knew the dangers of cruelty, hate and bigotry. It is fitting to meet here, a place that remembers the lessons of the past so as to shape the present and guide the future.

“It is important that we never forget not just the Holocaust, but all of the lives it affected. We must all stand tall and say, ‘Never again.’ I urge all citizens to strive to overcome bigotry, hatred and indifference through learning, tolerance and remembrance.”